The Chosen Son
by ChelsieLynn
Summary: After Thor brings Loki back to Asgard, the Allfather takes Loki's power from him and banishes him to Midgard. When Loki arrives on Earth, his memory is gone. All he knows that his name is Loki and that he doesn't belong here. He meets a girl named Lane who tries to help him figure out who he is but things get complicated when a stranger from Loki's past comes requesting his help.
1. Lost and Confused

**AN: Well, I couldn't stay away for long... I just had to write another Loki story. For those of you who've read my LokixWaverly trilogy, this story is completely separate from that. This story is a LokixOC story, though. It takes place after the events of the Avengers and before/during the events of Thor: The Dark World. It's my version of what happens to Loki after Thor brings him back to Asgard and how Loki ends up helping Thor rid Jane of the ether. The story will mainly be from Loki's POV with a few chapters here and there from Thor's POV. This story is listed as an adventure/romance but it's also a comedy/drama. T rating is for possible swearing and to be safe. I've only seen the movies, so this story is based only on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and not the comics or Norse mythology. The plot of this story is that Odin takes away Loki's power and banishes him to Midgard in the hopes that Loki can reform as Thor had. But, when Loki ends up on Earth, he's missing his memory. I welcome reviews and constructive criticism, but NO BASHING... no one is forcing you to read my story. Another thing I should mention, the inspiration for this story came from the song The Chosen One by A2 from the video game Shadow the Hedgehog. I'm in school right now and it's always super busy so I'll update when I can but I don't know how often that will be (I have like no life outside of school). Also, in my stories italics are used for emphasis and for a character's thoughts. Disclaimer: I do not own anything copyrighted/registered/trademarked by any of the things I mentioned; I only own the OC. Please read and review. I hope you like.**

Chapter 1: Lost & Confused

All he knew was this: his name was Loki and he didn't belong here. Where 'here' was he didn't even know. Two days ago he had woken up on a very uncomfortable wooden bench on the banks of a small lake. The area around him was lush and green with trees in full bloom. The air was warm. He had no idea where he was. There were people walking about; people who looked a lot like him. He could understand them and he was even dressed like them; wearing some kind of stiff pants with many pockets and a thin green shirt with sleeves that didn't even reach his shoulders. But he was different from these people; he didn't know how or why, it was just something he knew. This was not the place for him and he was not like these people.

Since he had awoken with no memory of who he was or where he came from, Loki had been wandering the area. Signs in a language that he could read but somehow knew was not his native tongue told him he was in a place called Central Park. Loki wracked his brain trying to remember what or where Central Park was. The problem was there was nothing to remember. His mind was frustratingly blank.

_My name is Loki. I am lost. I do not belong here._ Those were the only three things he knew for sure.

As the third day dawned, Loki stirred on the bench on which he had awoken previously. He hadn't slept since discovering his lack of memory but he had been resting on that same bench in the hopes that maybe if he stayed there someone who knew him would find him. Day three and no such luck.

Loki sat up on the bench and rubbed his neck. The thing was immensely uncomfortable. Even worse than the discomfort and his amnesia was his hunger. Loki hadn't eaten since he woke up. There were various cart type objects where people were selling strange types of food. Loki had approached one the second day but the vendor required payment, which Loki did not have. So he went hungry.

Loki's stomach growled loudly, expressing its displeasure. _Enough of this,_ Loki thought. _I may not know who I am, but I know that this is ridiculous. I will no longer sit here waiting for someone to come and explain what's going on. I will figure this out for myself._ Another stomach growl. _But first, I require nourishment. _Loki stood abruptly from the bench and set off in a random direction, looking for food.

* * *

He was nearing the edge of the park. He could tell because of the large buildings rising up all around him that he could not see from deeper within the area. The buildings reminded him of something, but he couldn't remember what. Whatever it was, the lost memory was tied to some very mixed feelings; longing, anger, happiness, betrayal. It bothered Loki to dwell on these thoughts so he forced himself to look away from the city around him. Instead, he kept his eyes focused on the winding path beneath his feet as he continued on with his search for food.

The sun had risen to considerable height and the day was warm. Loki desperately needed a good bathing in addition to a good meal. His hair hung limply in oily tangles around his shoulders. His clothes needed washing and to be honest, Loki was sure he didn't smell too pleasant either. With the back of his hand, Loki wiped off the sweat that had sprung up on his brow.

Looking at the path ahead of him, Loki saw a young woman heading his way. She had one hand up to her ear, holding some strange device into which she was talking. In her other hand, she held a container of what Loki knew to be French fries. At least, that's what the vendor at the cart had told him before running him off for lack of money.

Swallowing his pride, Loki began to head towards the woman. As he approached her, he called out, "Excuse me, Miss."

The woman stopped in her tracks and looked up at him. Her eyes took in his bedraggled appearance and then traveled down to take in his dirty clothes before returning to his face.

"Hold on," she said into her device. She pulled her hand away from her ear and addressed Loki. "Let me guess. You're homeless and you need money?"

"Yes," Loki answered instantly. Then he corrected himself. "Well, no. Maybe. I don't really know."

"Look, I don't have any cash so—Wait, how can you not _know_ if you're homeless." One of the girl's thin brown eyebrows vanished into the bangs framing her face. She looked skeptically at Loki.

Loki took a breath. Perhaps being honest with this woman was the right thing to do. Maybe she could help him figure out what was going on with him. "I woke up on a bench on the other side of the park two days ago. I don't remember anything. Please, can you help me."

The woman remained silent and blinked a few times before pulling her device back up to her ear. "Hey, I'll have to call you back." With a 'beep' she slipped the black rectangle into a pocket of her pants. "Are you drunk?"

"Drunk? Like from consuming too much alcohol? No. I've been without food or drink since I awakened."

"You must be on some trippy drugs then."

Loki blinked and furrowed his brown in confusion. "On what?"

The woman sighed. "So you're not high?" she said doubtfully.

Loki shook his head. "I don't know what you mean by high. I am taller than you, yes."

The second eyebrow vanished into the girl's bangs. "Ooookay. So, not drunk, not on drugs. You just woke up? You don't remember anything?"

"All I know is that my name is Loki."

"Loki? That's a weird name. Are you from a foreign country or something?"

"I don't know."

The woman let out another sigh. "Why do I attract all the weirdoes in New York?"

New York. The phrase meant something to Loki but he couldn't figure out what.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," the woman went on before Loki could dwell on his lack of memories, "but all right, I'll help you." She narrowed her eyes and continued, "But I'm warning you, if you're trying anything funny, I have a pocket Taser and I'm not afraid to use it."

Loki didn't know what a Taser was but from the look in the woman's eyes, he knew he didn't want to find out. "You have my word that I will not do anything humorous."

The woman rolled her eyes and muttered to herself, "What am I getting myself into?" She shook her head as if to shake her doubts away. She gingerly held out her hand to Loki. "My name's Lane."

Loki reached forward and grasped Lane by her forearm. When she did not grasp his arm in turn, Loki stepped back gave her a confused look. "Is that not the gesture performed in greeting?" This gesture felt natural to Loki but obviously Lane was not familiar with it.

Looking equally as confused, Lane shook her head. "Uh, no. We shake hands here."

"Oh." Loki's stomach growled loudly.

Lane held out her container of edible yellow sticks. "Here, you can have these. I'll take you to the police station. If you're telling the truth and you really do have amnesia, we'll see if anyone placed a missing persons alert."

Loki took the container of French fries. Lane turned on her heel and began walking back the way she had come, towards the entrance to the park. Loki followed her. As he walked, he ate the strange food deemed 'French fries.' He found they were some variation of a potato. Crunchy and salty, they were actually pretty good. Loki was so hungry, he ate the lot of them before he and Lane even left Central Park.

As Loki followed Lane, he studied the girl's appearance. She was shorter than he was and athletically built. Her skin was pale and she had thick wavy brunette hair. Her bright green eyes stared ahead as she led Loki through the throngs of people occupying the walkways of the city. Lane was wearing something similar to Loki; the same kind of pants and shirt, but they were tighter on her, obviously made to fit the figure of a female. Loki realized he was beginning to stare at Lane and he quickly looked away, taking in his surroundings instead.

They were now deep in the maze of the tall buildings. Loki still felt as if these buildings were reminiscent of something, perhaps a home he had once had, but he couldn't be sure. Alongside the roadway, there were wider paths upon which large, loud vessels rolled along at various speeds. People were getting in and out of these vessels which seemed to follow some strange pattern of red, green, and yellow flashing lights.

As they walked, one building, taller than the rest, stood out to Loki. A stark white letter 'A' stood out against the dark metal of the building's face. Loki suddenly felt a surge of anger. Eyes still locked on the building, he asked Lane, "What is this place we are in?"

"New York," Lane said, looking over her shoulder. She saw Loki's eyes fixated on something in the distance and followed his gaze. "That's Avengers Tower."

Loki tore his eyes away from the tower and looked at Lane. "Avengers?" The name made the anger in his belly burn hotter.

Lane nodded. "You know, Captain America. Iron Man. Thor."

A searing pain gripped Loki's head. He stopped in his tracks, closed his eyes, and held his hands up to his temples. There was a memory there. A strong memory associated with the name Thor. But the memory was locked away in the depths of his mind and he could not access it. Loki took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"Dude, you okay?" Lane asked. She looked at Loki with a mixture of concern and fear. "You're not like gonna freak out on me, are you?"

Loki ignored her questions. "Thor?"

"Uh, yeah. He fought those aliens with the Avengers."

"Aliens?"

"Yeah. Led by some insane psycho. You didn't hear about that? It's been all over the news even though it happened months ago. They're still rebuilding parts of the city."

Loki shook his head. Lane was right; he felt as if he should know about this event. But try as he might, there was nothing there to remember.

Lane shrugged. "Well if you have amnesia I guess you wouldn't remember anyway. Come on, we're almost there." Lane set off again, beckoning Loki to follow.

Trailing behind Lane once again, Loki dwelt on the name Thor. There was meaning there, he knew it. He just didn't know what _it _was.

Soon, Lane stopped at the front of a smaller building amongst the towers surrounding them. Big blue letter above thick glass and steel doors read 'N.Y.P.D.' Men all in the same uniform were bustling around inside and outside of the building. Stationed in front of the building were several of the strange vessels Loki had noticed earlier, only these had strange lights on top of them. Lane led Loki inside the building and walked up to the main counter. One of the suited men was seated behind it.

"Excuse me," Lane said, "I was wondering if you could help me. I found this man in Central Park. I think he has amnesia. I was just wondering if anyone filed a missing persons report."

The man behind the counter looked Lane up and down, then looked at Loki. His gaze swept over him twice before the man turned to some papers on the countertop before him. The man's eyes swept across page after page as he set the papers aside. After a few minutes, he looked back up at Loki and Lane.

"There haven't been any new reports," the man said. "And this guy doesn't match any of the descriptions of the missing persons we do have. Sorry, miss, I can't help you."

Lane sighed. "Are you sure?"

The man nodded. "Maybe take him to the hospital. He may have suffered some head trauma. I could get you a ride."

Loki frowned. Head trauma? He was almost certain he hadn't had any of that. He wasn't in any pain and didn't seem to have any injuries. His mind was just addled; his memory gone.

Lane looked questioningly up at Loki. He shook his head.

Turning back to the man behind the counter, Lane said, "No, that won't be necessary. Thank you." Lane sighed again and beckoned to Loki before heading out of the building.

Once they were back in the sunshine, Lane leaned against the outer wall of the building and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Well, that was no help. You sure you didn't just hit you head or something? I can call a cab to take you to the hospital."

Loki didn't know what a cab was and he knew he wasn't ill. He hadn't hit his head. The hospital would not provide him with any answers. He didn't need healing. He needed his memory back. "My head is fine. It is my mind that is the problem."

Lane shrugged. "Whatever, your call." Lane pushed herself up off the wall. "Look, I don't know what else to do. I can't help you.'

Loki frowned and bit his lip. He looked up and down the path on either side of him and Lane. He was lost, confused, and not afraid to admit that he was scared. From the sounds of it, Lane was about to leave him to fend for himself. He would be fine with that, he could figure out his own memories, somehow; but this place he was in was so strange. Loki felt Lane's eyes on him. She was watching him carefully and though she still seemed apprehensive, she was clearly troubled by his expression.

"Do you have a place to stay?" she asked

"No," Loki said. "Just that bench in the park."

Lane let out yet another long sigh. She looked away from Loki, deep in thought. After a few minutes silence she finally turned her gaze back to him. "All right, fine. You can stay at my place till you figure yourself out. Okay?"

Loki instantly felt relieved. For the first time since he had awoken with his mind blank, he smiled. "That is very generous. Thank you."

Lane waved a hand in the air. "Yeah, yeah. Just remember, I have a Taser. And I expect you to take a shower when we get to my apartment; you smell funky. Come on, I don't live far from here."


	2. The Nightmare

**AN: It's been a reaaally long time... I gave up the internet for Lent and then I had finals so I couldn't post anything. I have a break before summer class (ugh) start so I might update again soon. Thanks to all who have reviewed, favorited, and followed so far. This chapter is kinda long but I really like it. I hope you do too! Please review! I own nothing except Lane.**

Chapter 2: The Nightmare

Loki followed Lane to a large building a few blocks from the police station. They went inside and Lane walked over to a pair of sliding metal doors. She pressed a button beside them and they opened with a ding. The room behind the doors was small and square with no other exits. Lane stepped in. Loki wondered if this was a joke. No one could possibly live in such small quarters. Loki stood at the threshold, blinking with confusion.

"Are you coming?" Lane asked.

"This is where you live?" Loki asked.

"Uh, yeah."

"But it is so small."

Lane looked at Loki as if he was crazy. "This is an elevator."

"A what?"

For what must have been the millionth time that day, Lane sighed with exasperation. "You don't even remember what an elevator is? Good lord. Just come on." Lane reached out of the elevator, grabbed Loki by the forearm, and pulled him inside.

Loki watched as she pressed another button on the inside of the square room. The doors slid closed. There was a jolt; Loki lost his balance and tumbled against Lane, pinning her to the wall as he felt the room begin to rise. Lane let out a surprised squeal. Loki quickly regained his footing and stepped away from the woman.

"I am sorry. Forgive me. I did not expect the room to move."

Lane stared wide-eyed at Loki. She straightened herself up and smoothed her hair down around her shoulders. "It's all right, I guess."

Loki swallowed awkwardly and took another step back from Lane. Then, there was another jolt and the room stopped moving. Thankfully, Loki didn't fall this time. From the look on Lane's face, he could tell she was relieved too. There was another 'ding' and the metal doors slid open. Lane stepped out of the elevator and Loki followed hurriedly behind her. He had no desire to stay in the strange moving elevator room.

They were now walking down a long hallway. The floor was carpeted but worn as if many people had walked back and forth over it. On either side of the hall there were wooden doors, each with a different number. Loki followed Lane all the way to the end of the hall to a door with a gold number '713.' Lane fished a key from the bag she had slung over her shoulder, slid it into the lock, and opened the door.

"It's not much but it's better than a park bench I suppose." Lane stepped aside and allowed Loki to enter.

Loki had never been in such a strange place; except of course for the elevator. The room before him was filled with furniture, all centered around a big square box on a table. A low counter separated the room from what Loki assumed was the eating area. A narrow hallway led further into the small dwelling.

"This is your home?"

Lane stepped in after Loki and shut the door behind her. "Yup. Not much but the rent is good. Let me show you the bathroom." Lane took off down the narrow hallway and Loki followed. Opening a door on the left, Lane revealed another room. The floor was made of some kind of tile. There was a porcelain… chair? Loki didn't know what that thing was. There was a basin which Loki surmised was for water for bathing but it was empty. Finally there was a small stall type area closed off by a glass door.

"Feel free to take a shower," Lane said. "My brother was staying with me a little while ago. He left some clothes here that I think'll fit you. I'll go get them." Lane vanished from the room.

Loki stood and looked around him. He was utterly flummoxed. He couldn't remember his past but somehow he knew he had never been in a room like this before. This was not an appropriate bathing chamber. In the strange stall, there were knobs on the wall. The empty basin opposite had the same type of odd knobs. Loki decided to sit on the strange porcelain chair and wait for Lane to return. The seat was cold and rather uncomfortable. Loki didn't understand what the purpose of it was. When Lane returned, she entered the room carrying a pair of pants similar to the ones Loki was currently wearing. She also had a shirt with longer sleeves.

Loki stood as Lane entered. "This is a very uncomfortable chair."

Lane stopped dead, looking taken aback. "Chair? That's a toilet."

"A what?"

"Oh wow." Lane set the clothes on the empty basin. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. "This doesn't make sense. Normally people with amnesia just forget who they are, where they live, their past. They don't forget what elevators and toilets are." She looked up at Loki with a mix of curiosity and fear.

Loki sighed through his nose. "I wish I could explain. But I can't. None of this seems familiar to me. I don't understand."

Lane shook her head. "Whatever. I don't know. You're starting to freak me out though. Just… take a shower. Maybe it'll clear your head."

"You keep saying that word. Shower. Am I supposed to go stand in the rain?"

Lane huffed. "Oy. Shower. In there." She pointed to the stall. "Turn on the water, soap yourself up. I am not bathing you. If you need someone to do that, you're going to the hospital…" Under her breath but still loud enough for Loki to hear, she added, "Or the nut house."

"A house of nuts?"

Lane held up her hands. "You know what, I can't deal with this. I'm sorry but you're going to have to find somewhere else to go."

"No," Loki said quickly. "No please. I will not ask any more questions. Just show me how to operate this… shower."

Another sighed slipped between Lane's lips. "Fine. But tomorrow we're figuring out where the hell you came from." Lane opened the glass door to the stall, leaned in, and turned the knobs. As Loki watched, water began to pour from a fixture high on the wall. Lane withdrew before she could get wet. "Left makes it warmer, right colder. Towels are in the closet." With that, she stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Loki watched the water fall from the fixture in the ceiling. He took an uneasy breath and disrobed before climbing into the stall. The water that fell on his bare shoulders was warm, uncomfortably so. Loki turned the knob Lane had indicated to the right until the water was cool. Loki felt more comfortable in the cold, but he wasn't quite sure why.

* * *

After he had cleaned himself, Loki dressed in the clothes Lane had provided him. They were a little tighter than what he had been wearing, but fit him reasonably well. Still, the outfit felt unnatural to Loki. Wherever he came from, this was not what people wore. Loki combed his wet hair down around his shoulders and then left the bathroom. He walked along the short hallway back to the living room. Lane was leaning over one of the pieces of furniture, laying out a blanket and pillow.

When she saw Loki had come out of the bathroom, she straightened up. "You'll have to sleep on the couch," Lane said. "I had an air mattress but my cat put a hole in it."

"Cat?" Loki questioned.

Lane nodded. "Yeah. His name's Chief. Short for Mischief; 'cause that's what he is. A big ball of mischief."

Mischief. The word rang within Loki. A memory was associated with this word but it was locked away in the shadows of his mind.

Just then, a black and white blur shot down the hallway and between Loki's legs, nearly sending him to the floor. Loki steadied himself against the wall and looked down to see a small creature run into the living room and then launch itself onto the couch where it began attacking the pillow Lane had set there.

"Speak of the devil," Lane muttered. "Chief, stop it!" Lane swooped over and picked up the creature. She walked over to Loki and held it out. "Chief, meet Loki. I found him in the park, just like you."

Loki looked at the creature Lane was holding before him. This cat. It was small and furry. Chief was almost all black except for his feet and a small spot on his nose that were white. It had pointed ears and green eyes with black slits for pupils. It stretched out to sniff Loki, then let out a "Mew!"

Gingerly, Loki reached out and pet the animal between the ears. Chief began emitting a low rumbling sound. He closed his eyes and butted his head against Loki's palm. "I am fond of this creature."

Lane let out a snort. "Yeah, well you're both homeless weirdoes I found in the park. Figures you'd get along." Lane deposited the cat into Loki's arms and then walked past him to enter the attached kitchen. "I don't feel like cooking tonight," she called back out to Loki. "And seeing as you don't know what elevators and showers are, I don't trust you to use my stove. So I hope you don't mind pizza for dinner."

Loki crossed over to the couch and sat down. He placed the cat in his lap where it curled up, still emitting the rumbling sound. Loki had no idea what pizza was but he knew he was hungry. Those French fries had been so long ago. "I do not know what pizza is but if they are as good as the French fries I would gladly like some."

Lane rolled her eyes. "You talk so weird." She picked up a device off the counter, pressed some buttons on it, and put it to her ear. "Yes, I'd like to place an order for delivery."

While Lane did whatever it was she was doing, Loki began stroking Chief and looking more closely at Lane's dwelling. It was small, but welcoming. The furniture was plush and comfortable and the place had a welcoming feel. Loki somehow knew this place was different than the type of dwelling he had grown up in, but he knew both places gave him the same feeling that he did not belong; this was not the place for him. He was an outsider. Still, Loki was grateful to Lane for letting him stay here. He was not about to complain.

Lane put down the device she had been talking into and came back into the living room. She sat in an armchair opposite Loki. Chief sprang up and ran from Loki's lap over to Lane's. "Pizza will be here in fifteen minutes," Lane said.

Loki nodded, still wondering what pizza was.

"Wanna watch some T.V.?" Lane asked. She picked up a small rectangular device, similar to the one she had been speaking into moments previously. "Sorry, I'm not that great of a host, especially lately."

Loki wasn't surprised when he didn't know what a T.V. was. He disliked not knowing things. It made him feel vulnerable. So this time, Loki kept his questions about the T of the V to himself. Therefore, when Lane pressed a button on her device and the box before them began emitting noise, Loki jumped. His green eyes wide, Loki watched as images of people and places flitted across the black box in front of him. Completely at a loss, for what felt like the millionth time that day, Loki's jaw dropped open. He couldn't even form a question. This feeling felt utterly unnatural to him; he had a sense that he had never been at a loss for words in his past.

Lane was watching Loki curiously. She let out a small laugh. "Sorry, forgot. You probably don't know what a T.V. is either, do you?"

Responding with a headshake, Loki regained his composure and closed his mouth.

"Well I'm too exhausted to explain what it is," sighed Lane. "Just watch. Maybe something will click in your brain." Lane turned her eyes back towards the screen.

Loki did the same. For a while, he just sat in silence and watched as the people moved about in the box as they did in the world outside Lane's home. _No,_ Loki though, _They can't possibly be _inside_ the box. _So, Loki came to the only logical conclusion he could think of. _This must be some form of magic._ Magic. Like 'mischief,' the word gave Loki a strange feeling he couldn't quite explain. He felt as if his senses were on high alert. Blood pounded in his ears and he felt, well he felt powerful. These words, 'magic' and 'mischief,' they were significant clues to his past. They meant something. Somehow they define who he was. If only he could figure it out.

Suddenly, Lane sat up stock straight in her arm chair. With a low growl of indignation, the cat jumped to the floor and ran over to Loki instead. Quickly after that, Lane pressed a button on her magic rectangle and the images on the T.V. vanished. From the look on Lane's face, Loki could tell something she had seen on the T.V. bothered her. He had no idea what it could have been, he was too lost in his own thoughts about magic and mischief.

"Is something the matter?" Loki asked.

Lane shook herself. "No, no… It's just…" She took a deep breath. "It was just another story about the aliens."

Loki looked at Lane with confusion.

"Look, not tryin' to be rude but I don't want to talk about it."

Before Loki could respond that he didn't mean to pry, a bell rang throughout the small dwelling.

Lane stood up immediately. "Pizza's here anyway."

* * *

The pizza was glorious. Despite being covered in grease, it was a warm and cheesy delight to Loki's empty stomach. We wolfed down three of the triangular pieces in no time. He was too hungry to worry about anything else, but he couldn't help notice that Lane still looked ill at ease. She was still slowly nibbling away at her first piece as Loki reached for his fourth. Loki felt bad that Lane seemed so uncomfortable. She had been so kind to him in his moment of need; letting a complete stranger who knew nothing of his past stay in her home. Cautiously, Loki struck up a conversation to break the tension.

"I feel bad that I know nothing about you when you have shown me such kindness." Loki watched Lane's reaction carefully. When he saw that she did not appear put off by the statement, Loki pressed on. "Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

Lane relaxed a little and began telling Loki about herself. She told him she was 24 years old; Loki had no idea what age he was, so he couldn't compare that to anything. She worked as a waitress at a coffee shop; whatever that was. Lane told Loki about her brother, but she didn't mention any other members of her family. She also told Loki the story of how she discovered her cat in the same park that she had found Loki in. Just as she was explaining to Loki why she named the creature Mischief, Loki saw for himself exactly why.

Out of nowhere, Mischief jumped up onto the counter where the pizza box lay between Loki and Lane as they ate. Quick as a flash, the cat snatched up one of the pieces of crust that Loki had left behind. Clutching his prize in his mouth, Mischief leapt back onto the floor, knocking over Lane's drink in the process.

"See!" She said exasperatedly. "That's why!" Lane reached for a towel to clean up the mess. "Pain in my ass," she called to the cat who had fled into the depths of the apartment.

Shortly after that, both Loki and Lane decided that they were full. Lane put the remaining pieces of pizza into a large white box in her kitchen and then cleaned up the remains of dinner. Loki felt awkward just sitting there while she did this, but if he was completely honest with himself, Loki felt that a simple task like cleaning up after a meal was something that was beneath him. He wasn't quite sure why he felt this way.

Once Lane had finished cleaning up, she told Loki she was going to bed. Loki hadn't realized how long he had been listening to Lane talk. Glancing out the window on the far side of the room, Loki saw that night had fallen. The sky was inky black and he realized just how tired he was himself.

As Lane disappeared into her bedroom, reminding Loki once again that should he try anything humorous, she had a Taser, Loki settled himself onto the couch. This was infinitely more comfortable than the park bench and in a matter of minutes, Loki fell asleep.

* * *

_He was dangling over an empty abyss. There was nothing below him but the great expanse of the universe. The only thing preventing him from falling into the nothingness was a thin golden staff. Loki was hanging onto it with one hand, clinging to life; a faceless figure holding onto the other end. Holding onto that figure was another, shrouded in darkness so that Loki could not see his face either. Above Loki was what appeared to be a bridge, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. Loki felt panic rising in his chest. He said something to the man on the bridge, but the words were lost to his own ears, swept away by the horrible whooshing of the endless pit beneath him. The figure on the bridge responded. Again, Loki could not hear the words, but something changed inside him after the figure responded. The panic that gripped his chest like a vice vanished and was replaced by an emptiness even more vast the abyss he was dangling in. The words uttered by the figure drained all hope and life from Loki's being. He felt his grip on the staff loosening, his fingers slipping away from the cool metal. He had lost the will to hold on. Loki began falling into the darkness below him._

With a strangled gasp, Loki shot up on the couch. His heart was racing and his breath came out in terrified gasps. A cold sweat was running down his back. Loki swallowed and peered around in the darkness. He was still in Lane's apartment. But that dream had felt so real.


End file.
